Joining the Flock

RafterGirl

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Just got the shipping notice from HMS. My Blackbird Clara is on it’s way. I have been debating about getting one for a long time. I do a lot of outdoor stuff ......whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, camping, and traveling. I’ve been using an Islander laminate soprano that travels well & sounds good, but is tight for my fingers. I thought about a laminate concert, but kept coming back to the Clara. Many people in my uke groups have them & rave about them. Lots of folks here on UU also love them. They sound wonderful. When HMS had a basic model listed, I gave in & hit the “add to cart” button. Should arrive early next week. I already have some rafting & kayaking trips planned, so Miss Clara should have some adventures this summer.
 
FYI even though HMS says "the video is the uke" for Farallon (I ordered one to gift to my Prof) the uke still showed up on the site after I bought it and looks like for Farallon the uke they play is not the uke they ship. What was your experience?
Congrats! Clara is great and HMS is awesome but I am bit bummed about it.
 
Congrats on your purchase! Hopefully the wait is not too agonizing.
 
FYI even though HMS says "the video is the uke" for Farallon (I ordered one to gift to my Prof) the uke still showed up on the site after I bought it and looks like for Farallon the uke they play is not the uke they ship. What was your experience?
Congrats! Clara is great and HMS is awesome but I am bit bummed about it.

The Clara did not have "the uke pictured is the one for sale" in the product description. After I ordered, the Clara didn't show as "out of stock" so I'm assuming they had more than just one. Since they aren't wood, and don't have any particular variation like a wood ukulele would have, it would be difficult to tell which is which without a serial number.

When I bought my aNueNue Moon Bird from HMS, I knew the serial number of the one I ordered & I knew the variations in the wood on the rosette. I got the exact one I ordered and that was pictured.
 
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Congratulations Raftergirl it will be an amazing "Adventure Uke". Solorule has one she loves it, I have played it and been impressed. Big sound from a concert size
 
Congrats. I got the exact Kanile’a Uke pictured from HMS. I too have a Clara coming and I’m doing my best to forget I even ordered it. Shouldn’t be too long coming from HMS, unless you request different action. They come out of the factory ready to roll. I look forward to hearing your opinion.
 
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My new Blackbird Clara landed today. Amazing sound for a pseudo-synthetic uke. I'll have some great adventures with Miss Clara.
 
My new Blackbird Clara landed today. Amazing sound for a pseudo-synthetic uke. I'll have some great adventures with Miss Clara.

Yay! Glad to hear that Clara has landed.

A strap is key, by the way. That back is incredibly slick...
 
Congrats! High or low G?
High G. I'm not a low G person.

On the subject of straps ..... I use Sherrins Threads straps on all my ukes. I checked out her website & she has a strap with blackbirds on it. Perfect, now to find someplace that has that one in stock.

A question .....I've noticed that I can hear my fingers when they brush the top of this uke when strumming, or touch the top when picking. I've not noticed this with a uke before. This is the basic model Clara, not the gloss. It may be a matter of adjusting my technique, but I wonder if others have noticed it & if some sort of pick guard would lessen this. I had Oasis Bright strings on a uke a few years back, and I don't remember them being so squeaky. I was using Aquila strings back then, so I probably didn't notice how much thicker they are than other fluorocarbons like Worth or Living Waters. I like the feel & sound of them, but have noticed the squeak.
 
A question .....I've noticed that I can hear my fingers when they brush the top of this uke when strumming, or touch the top when picking. I've not noticed this with a uke before. This is the basic model Clara, not the gloss. It may be a matter of adjusting my technique, but I wonder if others have noticed it & if some sort of pick guard would lessen this. I had Oasis Bright strings on a uke a few years back, and I don't remember them being so squeaky. I was using Aquila strings back then, so I probably didn't notice how much thicker they are than other fluorocarbons like Worth or Living Waters. I like the feel & sound of them, but have noticed the squeak.

I tried my Clara and noted that I strum up the fretboard somewhat and do not normally brush the body. Then I lowered where I strum and "tapped" the uke around the soundhole. The Clara (vs a Moonbird and a Koaloha concert) is louder and more resonant higher up (toward the stock). So you might tap or thump the area that you make contact with these ukes and see if the contact area is "louder" on the Clara (and adjust accordingly). I assume we are talking "not plugged in with a pickup."
 
High G. I'm not a low G person.

On the subject of straps ..... I use Sherrins Threads straps on all my ukes. I checked out her website & she has a strap with blackbirds on it. Perfect, now to find someplace that has that one in stock.

A question .....I've noticed that I can hear my fingers when they brush the top of this uke when strumming, or touch the top when picking. I've not noticed this with a uke before. This is the basic model Clara, not the gloss. It may be a matter of adjusting my technique, but I wonder if others have noticed it & if some sort of pick guard would lessen this. I had Oasis Bright strings on a uke a few years back, and I don't remember them being so squeaky. I was using Aquila strings back then, so I probably didn't notice how much thicker they are than other fluorocarbons like Worth or Living Waters. I like the feel & sound of them, but have noticed the squeak.

Did you already, or are you changing the strings? Mine is coming with low G. I figured I’d give it a try.
 
Did you already, or are you changing the strings? Mine is coming with low G. I figured I’d give it a try.

You could ask Blackbird to include a high G string that matches the Oasis set it comes with. This way you do not have to purchase/replace the entire set and they likely have many of them in stock and you could switch if you find low G does not suit you.
 
Mine came from HMS and I had the choice of low or high G. I had been waffling a lot on getting a Clara. There are 4-5 people in my uke groups with them (regular & gloss) and they love them. I wanted something I could take traveling & into the great outdoor without a lot of worry. But I also wanted really good sound & a fairly loud uke. However, the price kept holding me back. That's a lot of money for a camping/travel ukulele. I've been checking all the usual For Sale venues for the last 6 months for a used one, and just missed a couple. I knew I wanted the basic model. No bling. The new basic models come & go quickly on HMS, but when they had one two weeks ago, I decided to jump on it.

Strumming isn't the main problem with the sound board noise. I do strum up the neck somewhat. I do a lot of thumb picking & strumming and my right index and middle finger tend to rest lightly on the sound board. My nails are short, but even a little tough of my nails makes a scratching sound. I've been playing the uke a ton today & watching my finger placement without too much trouble. It's just something I've not noticed before on my wood ukes.
 
You could ask Blackbird to include a high G string that matches the Oasis set it comes with. This way you do not have to purchase/replace the entire set and they likely have many of them in stock and you could switch if you find low G does not suit you.

Great idea. I’ll look into that. I was thinking one Uke with a low G would be good for some extra range on certain songs. We’ll see I may dislike it quickly.
 
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